Buenos Aires to the Devil's Throat

Argentina and South America have always been on my list to visit, but my dream was to visit to the great Iguazu Falls. So with 7 days to spare, I took the long trip to the great Americas. In this blog, I'll show you some amazing photos, plus give you important information for your own Argentina trip!

HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU PLAN FOR YOUR TRIP TO IGUAZU FALLS ?

In order to visit both sides of the falls, I’d recommend planning at least 3 days round trip from Buenos Aires. You will need two full days for each side.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT ARGENTINA ?

The best time to visit Argentina is October to mid-December (Springtime) and (Autumn) April to mid June, avoiding the tourist crowds and peak season. If visiting Buenos Aires in winter our summer months then make sure to take your rain gear and winter jumpers due to it getting very chilly.

I visited Buenos Aires in early October and it was perfect t-shirt weather both during the day and evening times. The Iguazu Falls area is a generally very tropical so pretty decent all year round and I noticed the difference in temperature between North Argentina and central Argentina. So ideally if visiting Iguazu Falls I'd recommend early October because it can very hot and humid in that region.

GETTING FROM AND TO THE AIRPORT

If flying to Buenos Aires they have 2 airports in and around Buenos Aires. The main international airport EZE Ministro Pistarini which is located in Ezeiza, the Journey is about 40 minutes depending on traffic from the city centre. You also have Jorge Newbery which is less than 10 minutes away from the city centre by taxi. If travelling from the UK you will most definitely arrive in Pistarini airport EZE, So on arrival you must decide on how to get to the city centre. You'll have 3 options depending on budget. The first being the cheapest option, The public bus which will take you into the city centre but will be a slower trip plus very uncomfortable after a long journey. The bus station is located outside, across the main road outside Terminal B and you will need to catch the number 8 bus which takes you to Plaza del Congreso and Plaza de Mayo. The downside to this option is they don't take cash, you will need to buy a SUBE card (costing 490ARS$ - £0.49p) which you can buy from the tourist desk or all terminals, then you will need to transfer money onto the card just like uk oyster card. The buses leave every 30 minutes from the airport, also important to know, they don't run on Sundays and bank holidays. The second option which is the most popular is the private Manuel Tienda Leon shuttle services (Cost 2700ARS$- £2.11) that connect both airports. This shuttle bus will take you directly to Jorge Newbery airport for which you can then grab a cheaper taxi into the city centre. The shuttle service runs both ways between both airports. You'll have two ways to get the shuttle bus tickets, the first being once you come out of customs in the airport there is a stand with the company logo on which you can purchase a ticket or go to Terminal B across the street where there is a stand right by where you pick the shuttle up from. You can even buy shuttle bus tickets via the company's website (www.tiendaleon.com) The bus ticket will include 1 piece of luggage and one carry on bag. The 3rd option is a taxi and the taxi stand is located just outside the main exits of the arrivals but warning they will only accept cash (cost £12-£14)

PALERMO (CITY CENTRE)

In my opinion Palermo is the place to stay and be within Buenos Aires, Palermo is the largest and most populated neighbourhood in the city. It's got it all, nightlife, cafes, and plenty of restaurants to all tastes and needs, plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. The city offers local and national parks and museums which I'd recommend you visit early in the day, even have the option of getting about by bike. You'll have two main areas in Palermo which are Hollywood and Soho which are the most visited. On the weekends you have markets and music being played either by the bars or live performers on street corners which gives an amazing vibe to the place and it's amazing to witness.

PLACES TO STAY IN PALERMO

Palermo has every budget from Hostels to 5* hotels. I personally stayed in a great little Hostel called Play Hostel Garden that offers private rooms (limited) to mixed dorm rooms. The private rooms cost £50 for the night which comes with a private shower/bathroom and a double bed, while the mixed dorm rooms have comfortable single size bunkbeds that will cost you £16 each night with taxes and charges included. The hostel was very clean and the staff are brilliant and welcoming. The main door to the hostel is locked and can only be opened from the outside by reception. They will also order you a local cab if needed, so definitely ask if you're in need of one. The other option is First Palermo Hotel which is on the corner of the busy part of the town which is ideal for people that stay out later. The hotel was great and again very clean, it's a budget hotel (cost £87 a night) the rooms are tiny with the sink inside the bedroom but does have a separate shower room and toilet. The room comes with a tv and safe with complementary bottle of water and snack on arrival. The hotel has 3 floors and on the roof is the very tiny swimming pool which wasn't the cleanest I must say, I’d certainly not dunk my head under the water thats for sure. But for a budget hotel thats a nice little touch, and a great place to see the city views at night.

FLYING FROM JORGE NEWBERY AIRPORT AEP TO IGUAZU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

For some reason they advise you to get to the airport 3 hours before the flight. Absolutely no chance I was getting there 3 hours before and I'm so glad I didn't. Honestly, you could get there an hour before and still be sitting waiting for your gate to open to board the plane. The process of security and checking in you bags is a smooth operation I must admit, so my opinion is 2 hours max but I got there an hour and half before the flight and I was still hanging about for half hour. Argentina have a few company airlines to choose from so it's all about your preference but I flew with Jet Smart, it's their version of easy jet and I can’t complain at all. It took an hour and 50 minutes to fly up towards Iguzau, so had plenty of time for a drink and an episode of prison break (cost £110 return) little tip the day before your flight order a cab via www.connectescapes.co.uk to pick you up from the airport to your chosen hotel in Puerto Iguazu (cost £11) you will get a whatsapp message from the driver on the day. The handy thing about this is they check your flight so they know when you will be arriving in case of delays. If you're seeing the falls from both Argentina and Brazil side ask the cab driver if he offers any deals to take you on your chosen days. My driver took me to both sides for just over £50 (bargain).

GETTING AROUND PUERTO IGUAZU

Other than the magnificent waterfalls there ain't much to do in the area, they have a small town with restaurants, bars and a local bank with an ATM but other than that not much else. If you need to get into town then you can ask the hotel to book you a cab which arrives within 10 minutes, plus ask the cab driver to pick you back up and he'll give you his card with all his

information.

PLACES TO STAY IN IGUAZU

I was in Puerto Iguazu for 3 nights and I stayed in 2 amazing hotels, very pricey but this is what I was here for and after the distance I covered in the past 48 hours I think very deserving. The first being Yvy Hotel which was a 4* and located within the Iryapu Jungle and wow what an unbelievable place to stay, the staff are amazing, the location is spot on. The only down side to this hotel was the breakfast. It's a continental breakfast with scramble eggs, bread not toast, fruit and cakes and a few cereal options, coffee and tea also available but for a 4* I was expecting much more. The pool area is great, they offer a kids pool and a main pool with a little waterfall feature which I thought was a nice touch. Towels are avaiable for each guest. The rooms were stunning, I stayed in a standard room and in my room I had 2 double beds to choose from. The shower room was huge, with dressing gowns available for each guest. They have air-con in the rooms and at one point I had to turn it off, very good for extreme weather.

The second hotel I stayed at was for only 1 night before flying back to Buenos Aires. La Aldea De La Selva Lodge and this was just as impressive. On arrival outside the hotel main doors is a lovely water feature that sets the tone of this great hotel. I contacted this hotel the day before because check in wasn't until 2pm but I had to check out the previous hotel at 7am and this was the day of the Brazilian side of Iguzau Falls, I asked if I could store my bag so I can enjoy the day and check in later that evening, they was very helpful and agreed to store my bag in a locked room. The rooms were proper wooden lodges that were above ground, everything was clean but the plug sockets were half hanging out which wasn't great but overall a great stay. I had two big beds like the previous hotel and this hotel offers a restaurant inside the main reception area, they also offer room service, you pay roughly an extra £1 on each order for them to bring the food to your lodge which I thought was amazing especially for solo travellers who don't like to dine alone. The breakfast was a lot better in this hotel and they offer lunch throughout the day up till 5pm then from 5pm to 6pm they put on local cuisine for guest to try, then from 6pm the restaurant opens. The food was amazing, the steak was very good indeed. The swimming area was a little 3 tier pool, again not the cleanest but it does come with a bar on site running till 6pm and sun lounges aplenty. The walk back to the room at night is an experience, the outlay of the hotel grounds is a massive circle with a wooden path way with trees either side reminding you that you're indeed deep within the jungle, hearing twigs snapping within the trees, I must say i was moving at pace. Overall this was my favourite out of the two and I wished I stayed here for the full 3 nights.

IGUAZU FALLS (ARGENTINA)

I could be here all day writing about these bucket list humbling waterfalls, but I'm just gonna give you a snippet and a few tips to get the most out of your day when visiting. The Argentinian side is a full day event, so if you was planning to stay for a couple of days to see both sides then my recommendation is to book a hotel on the Argentina side of the falls so you can get here asap in the morning and get the full 10 hours. I would recommend getting here at half 7 in the morning, get in-line for the kiosk to open for you to buy your tickets. They accept cards at the main desk and inside the national park for drinks and food so not to worry if you don't take money with you. The reason you need the full amount of time here, is because there are so many routes you can take (warning, there is a lot of walking involved)

Routes - Upper level trail - Lower Level Trail - Train to the devils throat(Take a waterproof) - you can also pay to get up close and personal on speed boats.

My recommendation is from opening at 8am, head straight down towards the central station where there will be a train waiting to take you directly to the main event (The Devils Throat) this will leave once it’s full. Once you arrive, you will have a 2 mile walk, this way you will be the first group there, where you can take all the photos and videos you need before all the tour guides arrive and take over the good spots for photos for their groups, plus the later it gets the busier that area becomes. Once done, then you can go back on the train to main station and take a nice stroll walking the upper and lower tier trails in your own time. The lower tier takes you below the falls and the upper above. It's breathtaking and something you will never forget.

IGUAZU FALLS (BRAZIL)

I saw a quote the other day with regards to both side of the falls and that was, "you feel the waterfalls in Argentina but you see the falls in Brazil' and wow was that quote 100% correct. You will only need a few hours on the Brazilian side of the falls. The difference being is that there is only one route you take. When you arrive you have stand alone ticket machines that look like ATM'S you pay for your ticket and on the ticket it gives you a time for which you join the queue, at that particular time you board the bus that takes you to the start of the trail. The bus takes about 20 minutes with 3 different stops, one stop is for a nature walk that's 2 miles long and this is part of your admission ticket, so you can jump off an experience this away from the falls. The second stop is for people wanting to jump on the boats for a tour below the falls, this is additional cost, then the third stop is the start of the trail. The views you get from this side is out of this world you get the full panoramic views and it's a truly amazing sight. It's quite a long trek from start to finish so make sure you have decent footwear, some spots along the trail it can be quite slippery so be careful when walking down the steps. This leads all the way down to a wooden platform that takes you into the heart of the falls and it's an experience you will never forget (remember your rain jacket) There is a souvenir shop at the end of the trail and somewhere to eat and drink. Once done head back up for the bus to take you back to the main exit. There is a question people ask, which side is better? It's a horrible question because both are great for different reasons, I change my mind regularly but I think the Brazilian side tops it for me personally, the views are insane. Only one way to answer that and thats to get out there and see these wonders for yourself. contact www.connectescapes.co.uk for a no obligation quote.

6 DAYS

I done this trip and covered a lot of miles within 6 days and I'm so pleased I did, goes to show that you can do these type of trips with a tight time frame, all that I done, I didn't for one second think it was being rushed. Bucket list ticked and onto my next adventure..............

ITEMS TO MAKE SURE TO PACK

Insect repellent for when you visit Puerto Iguazu

Sun cream

Offline maps for when your in Puerto Iguazu, some spots within the jungle you lose reception.

Water bottle

Hiking boots or decent trainers

Rain jacket

Credit cards

Money

Argentinian Pesos is not held in this country (UK) unless you order online, so what I did was I took $100 US dollars and exchanged this at the bank within the airport, to get Pesos to use for the shuttle bus and taxi to the hostel. When it comes to exchanging dollars in the bank, make sure the notes are clean, any rips or writing on the notes they will not accept. Once over here you can pay for most things on a credit card but not for taxis so make sure you keep some back for taxis on your trip. Also when paying by card you can't tip and in restaurants it's expected so make sure you got enough cash to tip.

VISA

Can enter Argentina without a visa and stay up to 90 days

PLUG ADAPTORS

Argentina use type H plug sockets. I got mine from amazon for £11

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